Why is Your Elderly Loved One Having Trouble Falling Asleep?

By Care Street Home Care Staff | January 15, 2021 | Comments Off on Why is Your Elderly Loved One Having Trouble Falling Asleep?

Does it seem like your elderly loved one wakes up a lot throughout the night? Whether you are watching over them at night or it is an elderly care provider doing so, you should try to find out why they are having trouble falling asleep. If you can figure out the problem, you can help your elderly loved one to resolve that problem. Hopefully, after doing that, your elderly loved one can finally sleep well again.

Pain or Sickness

Two of the most common reasons why the elderly have difficulty sleeping at night is because they are in pain or they are sick. Does your elderly loved one have a chronic or acute pain issue? If so, this could be what is causing them to stay awake at night. Are they feeling sick? Maybe they have an upset stomach or a cold. Both of these things could keep them awake at night. If this is the case, you or the elderly care providers can see what you can do to help.

Medicine

There are certain medicines that might be making it difficult for your elderly loved one to sleep at night, too. For instance, if your elderly loved one does have chronic pain and they are taking pain medications, this could cause them to stay awake at night or wake up in the middle of the night. There are also sleeping medications that help people fall asleep, but then they only sleep a few hours, and are then wide awake. If your elderly loved one is having trouble falling asleep, you should talk to them about their medications. If they are taking a new medication and the sleep issues just started, the medication could be the cause.

Mental Health

How is your elderly loved one’s mental health recently? Are they experiencing high levels of anxiety and/or stress? Are they grieving over the loss of a loved one? Any type of mental health issue could cause someone to have trouble falling asleep. If you know that your elderly loved one is experiencing mental health issues, try to see what you can do to help. In some cases, depending on the severity of their mental health issues, they may need to see a doctor.

Conclusion

Why is your elderly loved one having trouble falling asleep? If you and/or their elderly care providers can figure out the reason for these difficulties, you can help find a solution to the problem. After that, the hope is that your elderly loved one can sleep better again. However, if they are still having trouble falling asleep, even after trying solutions at home, you may want to have them schedule an appointment with their doctor. Other health issues could be the cause.

Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/good-nights-sleep

If you or an aging loved one is considering elderly care in Old Bridge, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Care Street Home Care today. Call (732) 607-8870.

Care Street Home Care Staff
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Posted in Elderly Care in Old Bridge NJ, Sleep Problems and Seniors and tagged